1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an installation notification method, installation notification system, and installation notification server.
2. Related Background Art
An operator specific software pack (which is generally called “operator pack” and which will also be referred to hereinafter as “operator pack” herein) allows a user of a mobile terminal to optimally utilize various services provided by a telecommunications carrier, and is provided together with the mobile terminal. Therefore, the operator pack has been provided heretofore to the user (by a telecommunications carrier corresponding to the operator pack) in a state in which it was preliminarily loaded on the mobile terminal at the factory.
However, the factory-loaded operator pack is not feasible in the following cases: (1) the mobile terminal is used in networks of two or more telecommunications carriers; (2) the mobile terminal is used in a country other than the one it was intended for or sold at (e.g. used in an international roaming service mode); (3) the mobile terminal is connected via a wireless LAN to a network; and (4) a mobile terminal manufacturer sells the mobile terminal (instead of through a telecommunications carrier or carriers). In these cases, the user needs to install a suitable operator pack after purchase, in order to use services provided by the telecommunications carrier or carriers, in an optimum environment.
Specifically, in the case (1) where one mobile terminal is used in networks of two or more telecommunications carriers (e.g., when the telecommunications carriers to be used are changed over from one to the other without change of the mobile terminal), only the operator pack of the telecommunications carrier before the changeover is installed on the mobile terminal and therefore the mobile terminal is not ready for optimum utilization of various services provided by the telecommunications carrier after the changeover. In the case (2) where the mobile terminal is used in a country other than the one it was intended for or sold at, the operator pack installed thereon is the one of the telecommunications carrier in the home country and it is conceivable that the mobile terminal is not ready for optimum utilization of various services provided by a roaming telecommunications carrier. In the case (3) where the mobile terminal is connected via a wireless LAN to a network, a suitable operator pack also needs to be installed on the mobile terminal whereby the mobile terminal becomes ready for optimum utilization of various services provided by a telecommunications carrier corresponding to the operator pack. Furthermore, in the case (4) where the mobile terminal manufacturer directly sells the mobile terminal, it is presumable that only essential basic functions are provided and that an optimum operator pack for utilization of various services provided by a telecommunications carrier is not installed on the mobile terminal, and it is thus conceivable that the mobile terminal is not ready for optimum utilization of the services provided by the telecommunications carrier. Therefore, in the above-described cases (1) to (4), the user needs to install an appropriate operator pack on the mobile terminal.
The “optimum services” herein refer to services independently provided by each telecommunications carrier, e.g., so-called character patterns which can be used in creation of e-mail messages.
Patent Document 1 below discloses the technology for automatically installing various drivers and software programs onto an external terminal. Patent Document 1 concerns a software management system capable of increasing work efficiency by saving the manufacturer's trouble and the user's trouble of newly installing various drivers and software applications onto a personal computer and capable of reducing the user's load of software management work. Specifically, it discloses the technology for letting the user connect the personal computer to a server, selecting optimum software for the product, based on personal information, e-mail address, and product information sent from the user's personal computer, and downloading and installing the software onto the computer.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-3581